The invention relates to supplements to be applied to soil or plant foliage to increase plant productivity and quality in agricultural, horticultural, forestry and other applications involving living plants. In particular, the invention relates to a supplement to be applied to soil or plant foliage, the supplement containing specific microorganism formulations with organic acids.
An increasingly serious worldwide problem is the depletion of organic matter, or humus, in the soil used for growing plants. This has resulted in some soils having restricted aeration and reduced water-holding capacity. In turn, the number of beneficial microorganisms, i.e., bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi which are primarily responsible for the conversion of macronutrients, micronutrients, and organic materials in the soil into more soluble forms that a plant can utilize, are greatly reduced. The reduction in numbers of microorganisms and organic matter also creates a negative shift in the cation exchange capacity of a soil which results in a further decrease in the nutrient storage capability of the soil which decreases the amount of available nutrients to both the plants and the microorganisms. The microbial and nutrient imbalance places chemical and pathogenic stress on the plants and makes them more susceptible to disease and pests.
The problem is being exacerbated by modern society's increased use of marginally suitable soils for growing plants. These soils are much more sensitive to microbial and chemical imbalances and are depleted at much faster rates.
Initially, growers attempted to solve these problems by increasing the amount of available nutrients in the soil by increasing the amounts of fertilizer and water used on the depleted soils. More and more fungicides and pesticides became necessary to protect the "stressed" plants from disease and pests, thereby further damaging the microflora of the soil. Under these conditions, the use of pesticides and fungicides only accelerated the decrease of the natural microorganisms necessary to healthy plant life.
Of course, microorganisms have been employed in soil treatments as far back as the last century. See, e.g., Bacteria In Relation To Country Life; J. Lipman; Macmillan Co.; New York, 1912; and The Micro-Organisms Of The Soil; Sir E. John Russell; Longmano, Green & Co.; London, 1923. However, this use consisted for the most part of one or two specific microorganisms or a "grab bag" mixture of soil cultures that were not specifically identified or quantified. Some were nothing more than composted manures carrying groups of microorganisms typically found in such waste. The beneficial activity of such unquantified mixtures on the soil resulted in increased crop yields. More recently, there have been more sophisticated microbial formulations and specific characteristics of individual formulations documented. See, e.g., Bilogical Control Of Plant Pathogens; K. Baker, S. Cook, W. H. Freeman & Co.; San Francisco, 1974; Beneficial Bacteria Enhance Plant Growth; T. Suslow, J. Kloepper, M. Schroth, T. Burr, U. California Dir. Agri. Su. Reports, California Agriculture; Nov./Dec., 1979; Vol. 33, No. 11 & 12; and Microbial Interactions In Soils And Healthy Plant Growth; A. M. Smith, Australian Plants, Vol. 9 (73), pps. 209-212, Dec. 1977.
However, actual use of specific groups of organisms on plants met with varying degrees of success depending on other non-controlled variables. Such variables include (1) the presence or absence of adequate micro and macro nutrients in the soil to support the propagation of the microorganisms; (2) the amount of organic material able to hold nutrients and microbes to create a suitable environment for microbial growth; and (3) the presence or absence of certain minerals required by the plant for proper uptake of the nutrients provided by the microbial acitivity.
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved supplement to soil or foliage, providing a complete balanced microbial, nutrient and physical/chemical environment for increasing plant productivity and quality.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for increasing specific microbial activity and levels in soil or foliage and for increasing the beneficial effects of that activity to plants' productivity and quality.
Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions of its embodiment.